G0D’S CHOICE?

 

Hammers can help build. But they can also tear apart.

 

For some time now, news has mostly centered about politics and candidates.  Our ears are filled with opinions, prognostications, and accusations; some of them quite vile, some hopeful, and some—as deliberate character assasinations.

 

To many a Christian voter, we discover a moral delima can exist which frustrates our choices.  Which one reflects our principals?  Which one cares about America’s Christian heritage? Which one is trustworthy? and while filtering the candidates by our own standards, we can find ourselves at odds with some of the views fellow Christians who (surprisingly) use a different set of rules to guide their choices. Tensions arise, arguements and dissapointments as well.

 

 

There is nothing new concerning politics:  The Civil War had dedicated, Bible-believing Christians fighting on both sides. WWI had Germans and Americans firing off bullets at each other, yet who momentarily stopped fighting to celebrate Christmas together on Christmas Eve.

 

Crazy world!

 

2,000 years ago, a highly respected and elderly Pharisee, stood before the religious council and gave a powerful speech regarding their individual decisions of what to do about an emerging “sect” of Christians.  His name was Gamaliel, an aged doctor of the law:

“Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do, as touching these men. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished: and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.  And now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: BUT IF IT OF GOD, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found EVEN TO FIGHT AGAINST GOD”.(Acts 5:34-39)

 

Looking beyond our present political situations, I am wondering if we aren’t in such a time as Gamalier described.  Do not the scriptures relate to a similar occurences where God intervened in the affairs of Israel contrary to the choices of majority rule?  Wasn’t there a time when a people that had received great blessings and promises from God, later rebelled against Him and were warned by Samuel, “..”Fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart, for consider how great things he hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king”.

 

 

My lifetime has spanned many decades, from the depression and through WWII and until the present. But there is now little that resembles the America of that earliest era. A progression began even as the Depression occurred; families stood together and helped one another, we did not let go when times were hard, and as poor as we were, we endured the hardships as mere blips on our “hope” horizon. 

 

When WWII occurred, patriotism was laced with our trust in God and His guidance.  Dwight Eisenhower gave us the Pledge of Allegience, which specifically described our nation as “under God”.

 

As the war ended, troops came home, naturally eager to blot the experience of war out of their minds, the focus now was VA benefits, home building, college, good jobs. and opportunities.  There were times of evangelism and revivals, Billy Graham was in the limelight, as were new technologies for bringing the Gospel to the forefront.  Television, mega-churches and opportunities in the mission fields as war-torn countries stuggled to rebuild.

 

But during this generation of post-war opportunities and blessings, their offspring generation came forth wanting more—much more. No longer entertained by black and white, along came color and big screen television, fast cars, luxury vacations. Old-fashioned morality interferred with restraints. A pot-smoking, free-love, rock spirit overtook America’s love affair with God.  Flag-burning, rioting children rebelled, and to accomodate it, America leaned to the left and stepped aside from common sense and decency to give them the “liberty” to legislate us into  the abyss.  The result:

Immorality is now almost a badge of honor.

Ponography is rampant.

Rape, same-sex marriage legalized, homosexuality, transgenderism no longer considered abominations.  Nor is fornication or the live-in lifestyle.

Legallized abortions by the millions, now big business.  So is selling those fetus body parts.

Children suffering in one-parent situations.

Illegal drug use and alcoholism epidemic.

Tatoos adorning bodies God created to be as “temples of the Holy Ghost”.

Christians” themselves lying,cheating,and stealing...even murdering one another.

Schools teaching immorality. 

And on and on it goes...

So how do we define ”bringing America back to the way it used to be”?  It will never happen until America repents—a word largely ignored and unpopular.  Not many pulpits preach it anymore, for it is not what  many  want to hear.  We enjoy our ears being“tickled”and lured by Satan’s temptations of pleasure.

 

“Blessed is that nation whose God is the LORD”

America has truly been blessed in so many ways.  But our blessings have been contingent upon our remembering “from whom all blessings flow” and knowing how and why they flow...or cease to flow.

 

 

The Bible tells us “the powers that be are ordained by God”. In our past history He has given us many noble and corregious leaders—according to our nation’s deserving of them. He prospered and made us the greatest nation of all time..gave us victories and prospered our nation. We were “one nation, under God, individual and with liberty and justice for all”.

 

 

But at this point in time it seems to me, that regardless what the polls say, our votes don’t decide who steps into our presidency...God does.  The only way we could possibly influence the outcome for good, is when we of this nation repent, turn from our wickendness, and ask His forgiveness and help. IAnd I don’t forsee that happening... Most of America’s too busy playing the stock market, ,investing in precious metals  and buying up lottery tickets to care.

 

 

“Gold and silver have I none...but such as I have give I thee”, said Peter to the crippled beggar. “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, rise and walk!”. And the man was healed.

 

Prophecy tells us that people will one day throw away their gold and silver as worthless. Our faith and obedience is still the best investment and “hedge-fund” a true follower of Jesus can possess for the perilous times ahead: A bride awake, with oil in her lamp, and looking in anticipation for her bridegoom’s soon coming....

 

 

MARY E ADAMS